Bearman: 'I can't do much more' to earn F1 seat

Oliver Bearman is unsure that he can do "much more" to prove he is ready for a full-time Formula 1 seat after his debut in Saudi Arabia.

Subbing in for Carlos Sainz who was ruled out with appendicitis, Bearman qualified 11th, missing out on Q3 by just 0.036s and went onto finish in seventh place ahead of both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

He became the highest-placed driver to score points on debut since Felipe Nasr's fifth at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix and also the third-youngest driver of all-time behind Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.

Bearman does have further FP1 outings lined up with Haas for 2024, and was touted as a possibility for a race seat in '25 before his Jeddah performance, and feels he could not have done much more.

"I don't know what else I can do, I don't think I'll be in F1 for the rest of the year, so my goal was to do a great showing this weekend and I think I did a decent job," Bearman explained when asked by RacingNews365 if he believed he would make it full-time to F1.

"That is all I can do and keep pushing and cross my fingers.

"I have a lot of FP1s with Haas this year, so I am looking forward to building up a relationship with them and gaining more miles in the car.

"Hopefully a door can open, that'd be fantastic."

When pushed if he expected to deputise once again for Sainz next time out in Australia, Bearman believes the Spanish driver will resume his seat.

"Carlos seems to be recovering really well, and I am happy for him," he explained.

"Because at the end of the day, it is his car, his championship so I think he will be fine."